Indian Run Falls

Indian Run Falls is nice 10’ to 15’ high waterfall located in Indian Run Falls Park, a Dublin Ohio city park. Hayden Falls, the subject of a previous post here, is close by. Early history of the area indicates that the land around the falls was the site of a Wyandotte Indian village on the west side of the gorge in the early 1800’s. Today, nature trails wind along both sides of the gorge and several observation platforms provide views of the falls. There is a bridge spanning the gorge that would provide a great view of the falls, but unfortunately it has been closed for a number of years.

None of the observation platforms provide a very good view of the falls so to get the best view, especially if you want to photograph them, it is necessary to climb down into the gorge, and then hike several hundred yards along Indian Run to reach the base of the falls. It is worth the effort since you will have a view of the falls that not everyone who visits will get. Walk along the east side of the gorge and you’ll find several places off the nature trail where you can safely climb down into the gorge. Use extreme caution however, since the sides of the gorge are very steep!!

A close-up of an Indian Run cascade - Click image to enlarge

Photographing the falls is best done during the “magic hour” of the morning or evening when the sun is low in the sky otherwise the mid-day sun will create an extreme contrast range with areas of deep shadow, bright sky and reflections off the water making a good exposure difficult. Photographing the falls on an overcast or misty day is also a good option. In addition to the falls, there are many opportunities for photographing various creek scenes along Indian Run. Above the falls there is a very nice 10 foot high cascade, and several other smaller cascades (one with a bridge overhead), that are especially interesting to photograph. Making some close-up compositions, focusing on the intimate details of the cascades will create some interesting imagery. To get the best results, I highly recommend using a tripod and a polarizing filter. Using a tripod will slow you down and force you to look through your viewfinder and think about your compositions. It will also allow you to use a slow shutter speed that will give the water tumbling over the rocks a silky flowing look emphasizing the motion of the water. Using a polarizing filter will help you to reduce or eliminate reflections on the water so you can show detail under the water that would otherwise be hidden by the reflections. These details will make your images even more striking. Enjoy photographing Indian Run Falls!